Lessing, Gotthold Ephraim

Encyclopedia of the Bible and its Reception

Lessing, Gotthold Ephraim

Friedrich Vollhardt

Gotthold Ephraim Lessing (1729–1781) is a representative of the German Age of Enlightenment. Lessing was born in a Protestant parsonage. His father, Johann Gottfried Lessing (1693–1770), was Pastor Primarius at St. Marien, the main church in Kamenz, a small town in the Upper Lusatia region of Saxony. Lessing’s early letters depict his upbringing in this milieu and show how vigorously he attempted to withdraw from it, although its influence continued to define him. In 1741 he was accepted to att…

Users without a subscription are not able to see the full content. Please, subscribe or login to access all content.

Comments (0)

General note: By using the comment function on degruyter.com you agree to our Privacy Statement. A respectful treatment of one another is important to us. Therefore we would like to draw your attention to our House Rules.